stories from the capital's largest quadrant

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Over the River and Underground | By Matthew Gross

The Dupont Underground is a zany business adventure with a five-year lease to revitalize unused space below Dupont Circle. Across the city is the 11th Street Bridge Park, a D.C. Office of Planning project. Though located in different neighborhoods, both projects aim to renew urban spaces.

Fiola Mare, which opened January 2015, is one of three Gruppo FT Restaurants owned by renounced Chef Fabio Trabocchi. His wife, Maria Trabochhi, is the one who runs the show while he is the mastermind behind the food.

The Georgetown Waterfront, Reimagined | By Eric Estroff

Gensler Architecture is one of the largest design firms in the world, operating offices in 46 cities and 16 countries. Gensler’s D.C. office looked to the Georgetown Waterfront for inspiration and proposed some new ideas to reinvigorate the space. While the plans are not yet a reality, the hope is garner interest and get the conversation going about how to best utilize our city’s natural spaces.

DC Locals Take Sustainability to the Roofs | By Drew Lawrence

Up Top Acres, a company started by three longtime friends, uses existing infrastructure – roofs – to maintain farms which supply the D.C. food market and reduce drain water runoff. In the future, these innovators hope to see almost every roof in D.C. covered with a farm.

A Transformation Down 14th Street | By Jessica Freedman

The past five years have been truly transformative for the 14th Street and Logan Circle neighborhoods: Gentrification and the influx of cafés and restaurants have increased the cost of living. Two restaurants that have opened on 14th Street are Birch & Barley, which opened in 2009, and Slipstream, which opened in 2014. These restaurants show the changes the neighborhood has undergone and what the future may hold for 14th Street.

Right Proper Brewing Company is a brewpub next to the Howard Theater in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood. Founders Leah and Thor Cheston, along with Nathan Zeender and John Snedden, created a neighborhood bar with high quality beer and affordable comfort food.

Feeding the Homeless, One Salad at a Time | By Sydney Sadick

Jacci Brown is a cook at D.C. Central Kitchen. Brown, who graduated from the organization’s training program, makes salad for the kitchen. She is one of many workers and volunteers who make it possible to deliver approximately 5,000 meals a day.

D.C. Students Join the Tutoring ‘FLOC’ | By Ashlyn Frassinelli

Many D.C. students struggle in school, and those from low-income families may have difficulty accessing supplementary materials that can make all the difference. For Love of Children (FLOC), a nonprofit organization operating in Adams Morgan, is hoping to change this one child at a time. The organization pairs struggling reading and math students with tutors; pairs meet once or twice a week to drill concepts, play educational games and talk about day-to-day life.

Morgan Jones and Michael Craig are two vendors and filmmakers at the Street Sense Film co-op. Jones has already directed a film about going to New York to ask David Letterman for an internship, but Craig is just beginning. Their stories and personal views not only give them hope, but also empower others.

Third-Generation Gardener Plants to Preserve History | By Rachel Smilan-Goldstein

At the National Museum of American History, lead horticulturist Joe Brunetti maintains the Victory Garden exhibit. Brunetti tells the story of how his grandfather became passionate about gardening after fighting in WWII, and how, two generations later, he became interested in growing his own food.

National Symphony Cellist Composes Music for Cats | By Ben Remaly

David Teie has been a cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra since 1984. Teie’s research into the impact of music on human emotions led him to compose pieces for an uncharted genre: interspecies music. Teie now makes music for cats and is not looking to stop there.

The District Gym Where Anyone Can Become a Boxer | By Bryana Gold

Formerly owned by the UFC Boxing Corporation, Urban Boxing DC left its corporate parent just over eight weeks ago to become a “mom and pop” gym. From Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to Muy Thai Boxing, this gym offers a more personable and interactive teaching structure that you wouldn’t find at a typical gym chain.

Columbia Heights Garden Provides Open Green Space for Children | By Miriam Smallman

City Blossoms is a Northwest D.C.-based nonprofit whose goal is to foster healthy communities by gardening with children and their families. They have several green spaces, including Girard Children’s Community Garden, located on Girard Street in Columbia Heights. Kids can garden, clean and decorate the space, which serves as an open, green space for children to learn about nature in an increasingly dense and urbanizing city.

GW Graduate Student Calls for More Women in Media | By Melyssa Granat

GW graduate student Janessa Jackson, who studies documentary filmmaking, is working on her capstone project and is focusing on becoming a voice for millennial women. Jackson’s project speaks to the underrepresentation of women in the media.